1

THE

FIRST BOOK

O F

STATIUS

HIS

THE BA I S.

Tranflated in the Year M.DCC.III.

ARGUMEN T.

OEDIPUS King of Thebes having by mistake slain his father Laius, and married his mother Jocasta; put out his own eyes, and refign'd the realm to his fons, Etheocles and Polynices. Being neglected by them, he makes his prayer to the fury Tisiphone, to fow debate betwixt the brothers. They agree at last to reign singly, each a year by turns, and the first lot is obtain❜d by Etheocles. Jupiter, in a council of the Gods, declares his refolution of punishing the Thebans, and Argives also, by means of a marriage betwixt Polynices and one of

VOL. II.

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the daughters of Adraftus king of Argos. Juno opposes, but to no effect; and Mercury is fent on a message to the shades, to the ghost of Laius, who is to appear to Etheocles and provoke him to break the agreement. Polynices in the mean time departs from Thebes by night, is overtaken by a storm, and arrives at Argos; where he meets with Tydeus, who had fled from Calydon, having killed his brother. Adrastus entertains them, having received an oracle from Apollo, that his daughters fhould be married to a Boar and a Lion, which he understands to be meant of these strangers, by whom the hides of thofe beafts were worn, and who arrived at the time when he kept an annual feast in honour of that God. The rife of this folemnity he relates to his guests, the loves of Phoebus and Pfamathe, and the ftory of Choraebus. He enquires, and is made acquainted with their descent and quality: The facrifice is renewed, and the book concludes with an hymn to Apollo.

The Tranflator hopes he needs not apologize for his choice of this piece, which was made almost in his Childhood. But finding the Version better than he expected, be gave it fome Correction a few years afterwards.

FR

RATERNAL rage, the guilty Thebes alarms,
Th' alternate reign deftro,'d by impious arms,
Demand our fong; a facred fury fires

My ravish'd breaft, and all the mufe infpires.
O Goddess, fay, fhall I deduce my rhimes
From the dire nation in its early times,

Europa's rape, Agenor's ftern decree,

And Cadmus fearching round the spacious fea?
How with the ferpent's teeth he fow'd the foil,
And reap'd an iron harvest of his toil?
Or how from joining ftones the city fprung,
While to his harp divine Amphion fung?
Or fhall I Juno's hate to Thebes refound,
Whofe fatal rage th' unhappy Monarch found?
The fire against the fon his arrow drew,
O'er the wide fields the furious mother flew,
And while her arms a fecond hope contain,
Sprung from the rocks, and plung d into the main
But wave whate'er to Cadmus may belong,
And fix, O mufe; the barrier of thy song
At Oedipus from his difafters trace
The long confufions of his guilty race:
Nor yet attempt to stretch thy bolder wing,
And mighty Caefar's conqu ring eagle fing;

How twice he tam d proud Ister's rapid flood, [blood;
While Dacian mountains ftream'd with barb'rous
Twice taught the Rhine beneath his laws to roll,
And ftretch'd his empire to the frozen pole;
Or long before, with early valour strove,
In youthful arms to affert the cause of Jove.
And thou, great heir of all thy father's fame,
Encrease of glory to the Latian name!

O bless thy Rome with an eternal reign,
Nor let defiring worlds entreat in vain.

What tho the stars contract their heav'nly space,
And croud their shining ranks to yield thee place;

Tho' all the skies, ambitious of thy sway,
Confpire to court thee from our world away;
Tho' Phoebus longs to mix his rays with thine,
And in thy glories more ferenely shine;

Tho' Jove himself no lefs content would be

To part his throne, and fhare his heav'n with thee: Yet ftay, great Caefar and vouchsafe to reign O'er the wide earth, and o'er the wat'ry main: Resign to Jove his empire of the skies, And people heav'n with Roman deities. The time will come, when a diviner flame Shall warm my breaft to fing of Caefar's fame: Mean while permit, that my preluding Muse In Theban wars an humbler theme may chufe: Of furious hate furviving death she sings, A fatal throne to two contending Kings, And-fun'ral flames, that parting wide in air Exprefs the difcord of the fouls they bear: Of towns difpeopled, and the wand'ring ghosts Of Kings unbury'd in the wasted coafts; When Dirce's fountain blufh'd with Grecian blood, And Thetis, near Ifmenos' fwelling flood, With dread beheld the rolling furges sweep, In heaps his flaughter'd fons into the deep. What hero, Clio! wilt thou first relate? The rage of Tydeus, or the prophet's fate? Or how with hills of flain on ev'ry fide, Hippomedon repell'd the hostile tide? Or how the Youth with ev'ry grace adorn'd, Untimely fell, to be for ever mourn'd?